' MATCH THREAD: WOLVES v CARDIFF CITY ' MATCH THREAD

WOLVES v CARDIFF CITY
Championship
Saturday 1 April, 15:00
Molineux Stadium


Cardiff: McGregor, Richards, Bennett, Manga, Bamba, Morrison, Ralls, Gunnarsson, Hoilett, K Harris, Zohore.


Subs: Murphy, John, Connolly, Halford, Whittingham, Noone, Pilkington



" UPDATE ON WOLVES AWAY "

Cardiff City have so far sold 1,280 tickets incl 50 comps.

Plenty of tickets still available.
No restrictions at all and an easy trip to get to.
Less than 2hrs away by car.
This Saturday 3pm.
Cardiff have an allocation of 2,500 tickets.






" UPDATED DAILY "

31/03/17

" CARDIFF CITY INJURIES UPDATE "

Warnock on Cardiff's injuries... including Zohore


NEIL WARNOCK:

"Zohore was the biggest worry, he’s got a slight on the scan (calf). He did some light stuff yesterday and is travelling. We wouldn’t be surprised if he’s involved in the next two games."


"Aron (Gunnarsson) is not back until this morning. We’ve heard nothing but no news is good news."

" Rickie Lambert has a slight problem but we’ll reassess too."


" Regarding Johore,You just don’t know with calf injuries, I had a few in my time, some took 10 days and some took three weeks to recover. We don’t want to make it worse so if there’s any doubt we said not to push it and keep away until next weekend."





Cardiff have been given 2,500 tickets and No restrictions


Latest News

Cardiff have been given 2,500 tickets and No restrictions


Possible Lineups

Cardiff City

1 McGregor
6 Richards
4 Morrison
14 Bamba
3 Bennett
11 Noone
17 Gunnarsson
7 Whittingham
24 K Harris
33 Hoilett
26 Zohore


Wolves

1 Ikeme
16 Coady
6 Batth
30 Hause
2 Doherty
14 Evans
4 Edwards
17 Costa
50 Cavaleiro
64 Marshall
63 Weimann


The Opposition



Wolves

Full name: Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club
Nickname(s): Wolves, The Wanderers
Founded: 1877; 139 years ago, as St. Luke's
Ground: Molineux
Capacity: 31,700
Owner: Fosun Group
Manager: Paul Lambert
League: Championship

Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Wolverhampton, West Midlands. The club was originally known as St. Luke's FC and was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at Molineux. They compete in the Championship, the second highest tier of English football, having been promoted from League One in 2014 after a solitary season at that level.

Historically, Wolves have been highly influential, most notably as being founder members of the Football League, as well as having played an instrumental role in the establishment of the European Cup, later to become the UEFA Champions League. Having won the FA Cup twice before the outbreak of the First World War, they developed into one of England's leading clubs under the management of ex-player Stan Cullis after the Second World War, going on to win the league three times and the FA Cup twice more between 1949 and 1960. It was during this time that the European Cup competition was established, after the English press declared Wolves "Champions of the World" following their victories against numerous top European and World sides in some of British football's first live televised games.

Wolves have yet to match the successes of the Stan Cullis era, although, under Bill McGarry, they contested the first-ever UEFA Cup final in 1972 and won the 1974 League Cup, a trophy they lifted again six years later under John Barnwell. However, financial mismanagement in the 1980s led to the club's very existence being under threat as well as three consecutive relegations, before a revival and back-to-back promotions under manager Graham Turner and record goalscorer Steve Bull saw them finish the decade in the Second Division, winning the Football League Trophy along the way.

Despite the financial backing of then-owner Sir Jack Hayward during the next decade, they were unable to regain a place in the top flight until 2003, when manager Dave Jones ended their nineteen-year exile but only for a solitary Premier League season. The club returned for a three-year stay at the top level after Mick McCarthy led them back as Football League Championship champions in 2009, but his dismissal in 2012 preceded relegation back to the Championship. The following season saw two further managers dismissed as the club then suffered a second relegation, ending up in League One. However, in the following season they gained promotion back to the Championship where they currently reside. The club's current head coach is Paul Lambert, who took charge in November 2016, within months of the club being taken over by the Chinese investment group Fosun Group.


2016/17 Results

Cardiff

SAT 18 MAR 2017 - CHAMPIONSHIP Cardiff City 3 - 1 Ipswich
SAT 11 MAR 2017 - CHAMPIONSHIP Cardiff City 1 - 1 Birmingham
TUE 7 MAR 2017 - CHAMPIONSHIP Blackburn 1 - 1 Cardiff City
SAT 4 MAR 2017 - CHAMPIONSHIP QPR 2 - 1 Cardiff City


Wolves

SAT 18 MAR 2017 - CHAMPIONSHIP Fulham 1 - 3 Wolverhampton Wanderers
TUE 14 MAR 2017 - CHAMPIONSHIP Brentford 1 - 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
SAT 11 MAR 2017 - CHAMPIONSHIP Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 - 0 Rotherham United
TUE 7 MAR 2017 - CHAMPIONSHIP Ipswich Town 0 - 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers


Recent meetings

2015/2016 Sat 16 Jan Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 - 3 Cardiff City League
2015/2016 Sat 22 Aug Cardiff City 2 - 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers League
2014/2015 Sat 28 Feb Cardiff City 0 - 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers League
2014/2015 Sat 23 Aug Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 - 0 Cardiff City League
2012/2013 Sun 24 Feb Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 - 2 Cardiff City League


Previous Highlights




Molineux Stadium



Key facts

Club: Wolverhampton Wanderers FC
Opening: 1889
Capacity: 30,852 seats

History and description

Wolves moved into Molineux Stadium in 1889, having played at various grounds in the previous decade.

On the 7th of September 1889, Molineux was the site of the first ever league game in English history, in which Wolves beat Notts County 2-0.

In 1923, Wolves were able to buy the ground, and soon after started building a new main stand, the Waterloo Road Stand, which had been designed by Archibald Leitch.

Developments continued in the next decade with the opening of the new Molineux Street Stand in 1932 and the renovations of both end terraces in 1935.

In 1939, Molineux recorded its highest attendance when 61,315 fans saw Wolves play Liverpool in an FA Cup match.

Molineux remained practically unchanged in the following decades, and slowly fell into a state of disrepair. In 1975, the Molineux Street Stand failed to meet safety requirements and a new luxury grandstand was built instead.

This new stand however severely impacted Wolves’ finances and brought the club on the brink of bankruptcy. By the 1980s, only two stands were in use and the club lacked the finances to make improvements to the ground.

Only after Sir Jack Hayward bought the club in 1990, funding became available for the redevelopment of Molineux. Between 1991 and December 1993, the three remaining old stands were demolished and replaced with new ones.

In May 2010, Wolves announced a £40 million redevelopment programme of Molineux. Under the plans, three stands would gradually get rebuilt and linked up, which would lead to a capacity of 38,000 seats.

Works started in 2011 on the Stan Cullis Stand, which was completed in 2012. The next two stages, however, were postponed as the club stated to want to use the limited funds available for the development of the Wolves youth academy.


Match Odds

Cardiff 13/5
Draw 27/11
Wolves 6/5


Tickets

Saturday 1st April 2017. KO: 3pm

Tickets available to current Season Ticket Holders and current Gold / Junior Bluebird Members

Steve Bull Lower Tier

Ticket Prices
Adults: £30.00
Senior Citizens (65+): £15.00
Under 21: £15.00
Under 17: £12.00
Under 12: £10.00

Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCS Ticket Office situated inthe Grandstand, next to Corporate Entrance 2.

Alternatively, you can call the Stadium Ticket Office on 0845 345 1400. The Ticket Office is open from 9am to 5:30pm on Monday to Friday, and 9am to 3pm on non match-day Saturdays.

The easiest way is to book online - http://www.eticketing.co.uk/cardiffcity


Guess the Score / Attendance

Post your predicted score/attendance below

I will go for 2-2

And at least 1,500 Cardiff fans

3-1 city

Bruno Ecuele-Manga will return to the Cardiff City squad ahead of the trip to Wolves but will he make the starting XI on Saturday?


The 28 year-old has been out of action since sustaining knee ligament damage at the African Cup of Nations while playing for Gabon.

It was first feared the former Lorient defender would be out for the season, but he’s made an remarkable recovery and after two months out could feature at Wolves, or even start.

Should he though? Both Sol Bamba and Sean Morrison have built a good partnership, and they’re both playing with real confidence, especially Bamba, who’s been one of the stand-out players for Warnock’s men this season.

1-1

3-2 Wolves.

Where is good place to park and any away fans pub?

2-1 city 1800city fans

Neil Warnock’s Cardiff have lost just one of their last eight games and sit six points ahead of the hosts in the table.

Lambert is, meanwhile, optimistic on the chances of Jordan Graham and Michal Zyro featuring before the end of the season, as the attacking duo near recovery from serious knee injuries.

Portuguese defender Silvio is also back in training after four months out with a broken foot and the boss admits all three players need game-time with the under-23s in order to complete their recovery.

“With Jordan, Michal and Silvio they need games,” he said. “The important thing is they are in good shape, they need games to get really fit.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=183359

The Football League have now announced the Match Day officials that will take charge of the game between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Cardiff City this Saturday.

Wolverhampton Wanderers host Cardiff City on Saturday April 1 for the game at the Molineux and the match carries a 3pm kick off.

Referee: Andy Davies
Linesmen: Geoffrey Russell and Daniel Robathan
Fourth Official: Richard Wild

Match Day referee Davies has officiated 32 games in 2016/17 with a return of 118 yellow cards and four red cards.

His highest card count this season was eight yellows in the game between Cardiff City and Aston Villa. He also showed seven yellows and one red in the match between Ipswich Town and Brighton.

He took charge of 36 matches last season and in those games, across all competitions and football divisions, he handed out a total of 127 yellow cards and five red cards.

He was most card happy in the match between Charlton and Leeds on December 12 with a total of eight yellow cards being shown. Wimbledon and Notts County on September saw seven yellows and he also showed seven in the November tie between MK Dons and Charlton.

A former player with a number of clubs at youth level, Davies capitalised on this experience to make a rapid rise through the refereeing ranks. He was appointed to the EFL Referees List in 2012/13 and since then has refereed over 100 EFL matches.

Source - EFL.

Let`s hope it`s not another repeat and more of the players edge closer to automatic bans.

We tend to play well up there. Im going for a 2-1 win. Zohore and Kads to keep the goals coming for us.
Im hoping Manga gets a start and we push Bamba into holding role with Gunner to tighten up away from from like against Villa

" UPDATE ON WOLVES AWAY "

Cardiff City have so far sold 1,250 tickets.
Plenty of tickets still available.
No restrictions at all and an easy trip to get to.
Less than 2hrs away by car.
This Saturday 3pm.
Cardiff have an allocation of 2,500 tickets.

Both sides are in fairly good form ahead of tomorrow’s game at Molineux.

Here’s how the sides’ recent run of results compare.

Wolves: WWWDL

Cardiff: WDDLD

MATCH PREVIEW | WOLVES vs CARDIFF CITY

By Cardiff City FC

Friday 31st March 2017

Cardiff City travel to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers in their latest Sky Bet Championship match on Saturday 1st April (3pm KO).

City will be looking to build on their 3-1 victory over Ipswich Town prior to the international break.

A strong travelling contingent of Bluebirds will be heading up to Molineux to support Neil Warnock's men. Remember - there are NO TICKET SALES on the day at Wolves. Buy your tickets from 5pm on Friday 31st March



THE OPPOSITION

Wolves, managed by Paul Lambert, go into Saturday’s clash in good form, having won their last three Championship matches, helping them pull clear of the relegation zone.

This run began in mid-March when the Black Country club recorded a 1-0 home win over the league’s bottom side, Rotherham United. They followed this up with an impressive comeback victory over Brentford at Griffin Park. Lambert’s men had been 1-0 down heading into the closing minutes, but two late goals from Matt Doherty and Hélder Costa ensured Wanderers left London with all three points.

Last time out, Wolves secured an away victory over Play-Off hunting Fulham. Ivan Cavaleiro, Andreas Weimann and David Edwards were all on target for the team in a 3-1 win.





CLUB CONNECTIONS

Striker Joe Mason joined the Bluebirds in 2011 and went on to make nearly 100 appearances for City. He will always be remembered in South Wales for his goal against Liverpool in the 2012 League Cup Final.

Mason left Cardiff City Stadium for Wolves in January 2016 and scored three minutes into his Wanderers debut, putting his new team ahead against Bolton Wanderers, and has made over thirty-five appearances to date.

Other players to have represented both the Bluebirds and Wolves include Jay Bothroyd, Roger Johnson, Seyi Olofinjana, Kenny Miller and Adam Le Fondre.




MEMORABLE MEETING

The two teams last locked horns at Molineux on 16th June 2016 when the Bluebirds, inspired by Craig Noone, ran out 3-1 winners.

City began the game strongly and almost took the lead when Stuart O’Keefe crashed an effort against the cross bar. With the half-hour mark approaching, the Wolves defence failed to close Noone down and the winger rocketed a shot from distance past ‘keeper Carl Ikeme and into the back of the net.

Minutes later, he did it again, collecting the ball on the edge of the area before curling a left-footed shot into the top corner to double City’s advantage. Michał Żyro quickly pulled a goal back for the home side but the Bluebirds restored their two goal advantage in the second period; Noone feeding Joe Ralls who saw his low drive hit the back of the net.

Cardiff saw the game out comfortably to record an impressive victory in a game City’s number 11 will not forget in a hurry.

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

Cardiff City have sold 1,280 tickets for Wolves away incl 50 comps

City have an allocation of 2,500 tickets

Remember - there are NO TICKET SALES on the day at Wolves. Buy your tickets from 5pm on Friday 31st March

" CARDIFF CITY INJURIES UPDATE "

Warnock on Cardiff's injuries... including Zohore


NEIL WARNOCK:

"Zohore was the biggest worry, he’s got a slight on the scan (calf). He did some light stuff yesterday and is travelling. We wouldn’t be surprised if he’s involved in the next two games."


"Aron (Gunnarsson) is not back until this morning. We’ve heard nothing but no news is good news."

" Rickie Lambert has a slight problem but we’ll reassess too."


" Regarding Johore,You just don’t know with calf injuries, I had a few in my time, some took 10 days and some took three weeks to recover. We don’t want to make it worse so if there’s any doubt we said not to push it and keep away until next weekend."

WOLVES HOME
Wolves have won 3, drawn 1 and lost 4 of the last 8 stagings of this fixture, outscoring their opponents by 13 goals to 12.

Wolves have scored in 60% of their last 20 home games.

Wolves have kept a clean sheet in 30% of their last 20 home games.

CARDIFF AWAY
Cardiff have won 4, drawn 1 and lost 3 of the last 8 stagings of this fixture, being outscored by their opponents by 13 goals to 12.

Cardiff have scored in 75% of their last 20 away games.

Cardiff have kept a clean sheet in 10% of their last 20 away games.

Wolves have scored in all but one of their last 19 home league games against Cardiff.

Cardiff have won five of their last seven league meetings with Wolves.

Cardiff have scored more goals via set-pieces (27) than any Championship side in 2016/17.

Only Nottm Forest (129) have made more changes to their starting line-up this season than Wolves (111).

Kenneth Zohore has netted eight goals in his last eight appearances for Cardiff.

Wolves have won just 18 points at home this season out of a possible 51 - the third lowest haul in the division after Wigan Athletic (15) and Rotherham United (16).

Wolves v Cardiff. Interesting programme cover from the hosts.

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Wolves v Cardiff. Interesting programme cover from the hosts.

Wow!

Cardiff subs

Murphy, John, Connolly, Halford, Whittingham, Noone and Pilkington.


Cardiff: McGregor, Richards, Bennett, Manga, Bamba, Morrison, Ralls, Gunnarsson, Hoilett, K Harris, Zohore.

Zohore is fit!

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Cardiff City 1,380 incl 50 comps

Had a little bet on Zohore to score anytime at 11/4. Looks great value

Had a little bet on Zohore to score anytime at 11/4. Looks great value

Good luck Ned

The players are out and we're underway at Molineux. Wolves in gold & black will attack the goal in front of the North Bank

Bamba currently playing in front of the central defensive partnership of Manga & Morrison.

Nice build-up from Wolves - the ball's worked wide to Costa who crosses towards the back post but it's too high for the gold shirts

An Aron Gunnarsson long throw is easily cleared but it’s been a decent start from the visitors. The away fans in fine voice.